Boston Children’s Museum Fact Sheet

Museum Fact Sheet.pdf - (345kb)

Mission
Boston Children’s Museum exists to help children and families enjoy, understand and become active citizens of the world in which they live. We want children to grow up as successful learners who respect others and the natural world. We encourage imagination, curiosity, investigation, innovation, and play. Central to our philosophy is the belief that meaningful interactions with real objects, direct engagement and enjoyment promote learning.

Vision
Building on our new facilities and on our rededication to our role as an urban museum serving children 0-10, their families and educators, we will:

• Expand our collaborations to help “level the sandbox” for the most vulnerable children in Greater Boston;
• Increase our engagement with the newest, immigrant families of Boston, linking them with the rich, educational and cultural resources of the City;
• Become a “teaching” museum that integrates research on learning and family engagement with the need to train a new generation of diverse museum educators;
• Deepen our competencies in the arts, early science, health, environmental stewardship and cultural diversity through more academic partnerships, more staff training and more evaluation of exhibits and related programming;
• Build Children’s Wharf Park on land and water as an active, accessible outdoor learning experience that attracts the broadest possible audience to the downtown waterfront.

Almost 100 Years of Helping Children Learn About Their World

• Founded by Boston Public School teachers in 1913 in Jamaica Plain
• Second oldest children’s museum in the world
• First museum to introduce family-focused and hands-on exhibits
• Moved to former 1889 wool warehouse along the Fort Point Channel in 1979
• Completed $47-million expansion and renovation project in 2007

Groundbreaking Exhibits

• Peep’s World - Preschool science exhibit
• Japanese House (Kyo-no-Machiya) - Gift from Boston’s Japanese Sister City Kyoto to the city of Boston in 1979
• PlaySpace - First exhibit for young children
• Climbing structure - First of its kind
• Traveling exhibits developed by the Museum - Featured in museums in 29 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada

Commitment to Four Ideals

• Play - Encourage imagination and curiosity
• Learn -Help families develop the habits for learning
• Innovate - Create new programs to meet tomorrow’s challenges
• Collaborate - Work in partnership with communities to support children and families

Innovative Research

• Playlab - MIT conducts cognitive research with young children onsite
• PEEP’s World - Developing tool to measure how people interact with exhibits
• School readiness - Partnering with educators, families and community organizations to provide kids with hands-on learning experiences

Community Learning

• KIDS @fterschool - First free, online afterschool curriculum
• Museum kits and training - Innovative multimedia curricula and professional development for educators in formal and informal settings
• Museum programs - Align with Massachusetts State Learning Standards

Boston’s First “Green” Museum

• LEED® Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council in 2008
• Green building elements - Green roofs; storm water reclamation system; recycled, local and low-emitting building materials
• The Recycle Shop - Pioneered in 1972; sells a variety of reusable items to visitors

Museum Operations

• 80 full-time, 64 part-time staff
• Annual budget - $10M
• Maximum 40-member board of trustees, maximum 90-member board of overseers
• Size -105,000 square feet (Museum); 175,000 square feet (entire building)
• Fully accredited by American Association of Museums
• Great location for meetings, conferences, and parties
• Over 50,000 items in the Museum’s collections

Visitor Demographics

• 550,000 visitors annually
• 10,000+ member households
• 29% receive free or discounted admission
• 8% visit with camp, community or school groups
• Almost 89% are from New England and 78% from Massachusetts

2009-2013: What’s Ahead

• Countdown to Kindergarten - Exhibit and citywide programs
• Children’s Wharf Park - A new destination for visitors with delightful outdoor spaces and programs
• Changing exhibits and engaging programs
• 2013 - Boston Children’s Museum celebrates its 100th Birthday!